Viviane Sassen

you might already know of Dutch photographer Viviane Sassen from the work she’s done for renowned fashion magazines and fashion houses the likes of Carven & Missoni. her most beautiful visuals, in my opinion, is a series called Flamboya which was shot in Kenya (where she spent part of her childhood) Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. the name is taken from the red blossomed Flamboyant tree which grows across East and South Africa.

As long as I can remember, I have felt very close to Africa. This is most probably due to the fact that I lived with my family in Kenya when I was a child. Yet, this very experience of closeness has also engendered contradictory feelings. While feeling to be a part of this world, I have also kept on being aware of the fact that I would never really be a part of it. Very soon, I have come to understand that I would always remain a stranger. In this way I try in my work to figure this ambiguity. You feel close but at the same time distant. And that is something that is most of times absent in traditional Western depictions of Africa, always clearly reflecting the interpretation and gaze of Westerners.